Generally, electrified vehicles differ from conventional motor vehicles because electrified vehicles include one or more electric machines powered by batteries. The electric machines can selectively drive the vehicle. Conventional motor vehicles, in contrast to electrified vehicles, are driven exclusively by an internal combustion engine. Example electrified vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Electrified vehicle battery assemblies include one or more battery cells that are configured in a series, or series-parallel, string in order to obtain the voltage and power levels that are necessary to drive the electrified vehicle. The battery cells must be reliably connected to one another in order to achieve these voltage and power levels. Bus bars may be used to electrically connect the battery cells of a battery assembly.